Oral care implement

ABSTRACT

An oral care implement with a soft tissue cleanser is provided to effectively cleanse the soft tissue of the mouth with comfort and a reduced risk of injury to the user. In one construction, a projection is formed of a combination of a hard material and a soft material. The hard material provides good stability for cleaning debris from the tongue or other tissue while the soft material provides comfort and a reduced risk of injury.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to an oral care implement with a tonguecleanser for cleansing the tongue and other soft tissue in the mouth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

According to the American Dental Association, bad breath in healthypeople is often attributable to microbial deposits on the tongue. Due toits papillary nature, the tongue creates a unique ecological site thatprovides a large surface area, which favors the accumulation of oralbacteria. Anaerobic flora and bacteria residing on the tongue can leadto the development of chronic bad breath commonly called halitosis.

While tongue scrapers have been used in the past, these scrapers havenot adequately met the need. Past scrapers have typically beenuncomfortable, risked injury to the user, and/or lacked effectiveness.Hence, there is a need for an oral care implement with a tongue cleanserthat provides effective removal of bacteria and other debris withcomfort and safety.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to an oral care implement with a tonguecleanser provided with a unique combination of hard and soft materialsto effectively cleanse the tongue and other soft tissue within the mouthwith comfort and a reduced risk of injury to the user.

In one aspect of the invention, a tongue cleanser is formed of twocomponents that combine to define at least one cleaning projection thatextends from a head of an implement. One component of the tonguecleanser is composed of a relatively hard material to provide stabilityand effective cleaning of the soft tissue. The other component iscomposed of a relatively soft material to provide comfort and safety tothe user during use of the implement.

In one exemplary construction of the invention, the tongue cleanserincludes a base composed of a relatively hard material that protrudesfrom a surface of the head, and a soft material that at least partiallyoverlies the base. The hard base provides good stability for cleaningbacteria and debris from the tongue or other tissue, while the softlayer provides comfort and a reduced risk of injury. In one embodiment,the tip of the base is covered with the soft material. In anotherembodiment, a small extension of the base tip is exposed through thesoft material.

In another exemplary construction, the tongue cleanser includes aprojection formed of a soft material, which is embedded in a hard basefor enhanced rigidity. In one embodiment, the projection is a taperingmember with a narrow tip to engage and clean soft tissue in the mouthand a wide base portion anchored in a hard material portion of the head.The soft material engages the tongue for comfort and safety. The hardmaterial provides enhanced stiffness and stability to the cleanser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head of a toothbrush in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.1.

FIGS. 3-6 are partial cross sectional views alternative structures takenalong line II-II of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An oral care implement in accordance with the present invention isillustrated and described in the form of a toothbrush 10 (FIGS. 1 and2). Nevertheless, the invention could be encompassed into other oralcare implements, including simply a tissue-cleansing implement.Toothbrush 10 includes a head 12 and a handle 14. While FIG. 1 onlyillustrates the connection of the handle to the head, the handle ispreferably an elongate member to be grasped by the user. The handle 14could have any known shape and construction adapted for the manipulationneeded to clean the teeth and/or tongue of a user. Head 12 includes apair of opposite sides 16, 17 with teeth cleaning elements 20 extendingfrom side 16 and a soft tissue cleanser 21 provided on side 17. Whilesuch soft tissue cleanser 21 may be used to impact areas of the mouthother than the teeth, it is primarily intended for use as a tonguecleanser and will be described herein as such for purposes ofconvenience. Although head 12 is shown with an oblong shape, other knownshapes could be used.

The teeth cleaning elements 20 could be bristles and/or elastomericmembers of various shapes and sizes. Any form or combination of elements20 suitable for cleaning a user's teeth could be used.

Tongue cleanser 21 includes at least one projection 22, and preferably aplurality of projections, to cleanse the tongue and other soft tissue ofthe mouth (e.g., the inner surfaces of the cheeks). While theprojections are preferably formed on a head also provided with teethcleaning elements 20, they could be formed on other implements or otherparts of the toothbrush. Any reference to a head of an implement issimply meant to be a reference to the operative portion of the implementthat is inserted into the mouth, and does not refer to a particularshape, structure or location of the head. In the present invention, eachof the projections is formed by a combination of hard and soft materialsto provide the beneficial effects of superior cleaning of the tongue (orother soft tissue) with comfort and safety from injury.

In one embodiment (FIGS. 1 and 2), a plurality of projections 22 areformed to extend across a back side 17 of head 12. Each projectionincludes a base portion 28 protruding from the head, and a layer 29overlying the base portion (FIG. 2). Base 28 is composed of a relativelyrigid material such as Polypropylene, although many other materialscould be used. The base portion is preferably formed as part of the headas shown in FIG. 2, but could be separately formed and attached to thehead by adhesive, fasteners or the like. Layer 29 is preferably athermoplastic elastomer such as Santoprene, Thermolast-K, Dynaflex,although many other materials could also be used so long as they arecompatible for oral care and soft enough to provide the desired comfortand/or safety benefits. While projections 22 are described and shown asridges 24, they could have a non-ridge construction (e.g., columnar orconical) if desired. Various shapes and cross-sectional configurationsof projections 22 are contemplated.

In this one construction, base 28 tapers to a narrow tip 32 to betterdig into the recesses in the tongue and remove bacteria and debris. Asshown, the base can be formed to have a generally triangular crosssection, though other narrowing shapes could be used. Moreover, constantcross-sectional shapes, non-tapering shapes or those that do not taperto a narrow tip could also be used if desired. The soft overlayer 29overlies the entire back side 17 of head 12 for enhanced comfort andsafety; i.e., layer 29 protects users from cutting or injuring theirtongues or other tissue even when very narrow tips are used to defineridges 24. Soft layer 29 is preferably molded over side 17 of head 12,but could be otherwise secured such as by adhesive, fasteners, etc.Alternatively, a soft layer or covering 29 a could be formed to coveronly the tips 32 a of ridges 24 a of tongue cleanser 21 a (FIG. 3). Ofcourse, other variations in coverage of the projections by overlayer 29could be used. For example, the soft material component 29 could covermore or less of the base 28 than is shown in FIG. 3, or could coverbases 28 and only a part of side 17 of head 12 without covering theentire side. In one example, base 28 extends 0.5 to 1 mm from side 17 ofhead 12, and soft material component 29 is 0.3 to 0.5 mm thick.Nevertheless, many other smaller and greater extensions and thicknessescould be used to form projections.

In one other embodiment (FIG. 4), tongue cleanser 21 b includes at leastone ridge 24 b defined by a base portion 28 b and an overlayer 29 b. Aswith the earlier embodiment, base 28 b is formed of a relatively hardmaterial, which in the preferred construction is formed as a unitaryportion of the head. As with the earlier embodiment, base 28 bpreferably tapers to a narrow tip 32 b to effectively remove bacteriaand debris, although other shapes could be used. Overlayer 29 b iscomposed of a relatively soft material, which partially covers baseportion 28 b. However, in this construction, the tip 32 b of baseportion 28 b is left uncovered, while the remaining portion of the baseis covered by the soft component 29 b. Nevertheless, comfort and safetyare maintained with the exposed tip 32 b, even when narrowed, bylimiting the extension of the exposed tip beyond the soft material 29 b.More specifically, tongues or other soft tissue within the mouth tend togive or flex as the ridges contact and move over them. This flexibilityenables a short tip 32 b to pass over the tongue or other tissue withoutinjuring the user. As a result, comfort and safety are maintained.

In one such construction, base portion 28 b protrudes outward from arecess 40 formed in side 17 b of head 12 b. In this example, since base28 b is formed as an elongate ridge, recess 40 has the form of anelongate channel extending across side 17 b. If the projection wereinstead, for example, columnar, the recess would then preferablyencircle the projection. The soft component 29 b fills and is secured inrecess 40 about base 28, and defines an outer surface 42 that graduallyextends to a position proximate tip 32 b. In the illustrated example,outer surface 42 of overlayer 29 has a broad curved, convex shapeagainst which the tongue or other tissue slides. This outer surface,however, could have many different shapes so long as it provides asurface against which the tongue or other tissue can slide and beexposed to only a small portion of the underlying base 28 b. In this oneexample shown in FIG. 4, base 28 b has a height (i.e., from the bottomof recess 40 to tip 32 b) of 1 mm, and extends 0.5 mm beyond outersurface 42, though these dimensions could vary considerably. Moreover,the construction could vary. For example, recess 40 could be eliminatedand the hard component formed as a shorter base that extends directlyfrom a generally planar back side 17. In this construction, softcomponent would preferably be a generally uniform layer overlying atleast part of the back side of the head and part of the base. Also,alternatively, the tip portion of the relatively hard first componentcould be secured to the relatively soft second component (not shown)rather than the being directly fixed to the head.

In another embodiment (FIG. 5), tongue cleanser 21 c is formed by a softmaterial component 29 c that defines a projection 48 which is embeddedin a relatively hard base 49, preferably a hard base portion of head 12c. In this construction, projection 48 preferably protrudes from arecess 50 defined in side 17 c of head 12 c; although recess 50 could beomitted. Projection 48 preferably extends outwardly from the recess 50and above a plane 55 defined by the side 17 c such that the projection48 is raised relative to the side 17 c to provide increased cleaningbenefits. Nevertheless, tip 56 of the projection may be generallyco-extensive with plane 55 so long as contact with the soft tissue stilloccurs. Recess 50 is similar to recess 40 discussed above, except thatin this construction the recess remains open. In this example, since theprojection is formed as an elongate ridge, recess 50 would be anelongate channel extending across the head. Ridge 48 is anchored intothe head to provide a stiffer member, despite being a soft material, toprovide an effective cleansing of the tongue and other tissue. In theillustrated example, ridge 48 has a height (extending from the bottom ofrecess 50) of about 1 mm, and a projection above back side 17 c of about0.5 mm. Nevertheless, wide variations from these dimensions may be used.

In the one construction, projection 48 includes an anchoring portion 54that is embedded in base 49 (which is preferably a portion of head 12)and a tip 56 for contacting the soft tissue. Projection 48 preferablytapers from anchoring portion 54 to tip 56 to define a narrowed tip foreffectively cleaning of the tongue and other tissue, and a broadanchoring portion for greater support and stiffness. Nevertheless, othertapering and non-tapering projections could be used.

Furthermore, the construction of FIG. 5 illustrates one example of aconcavity defined within side 17 c (i.e., the recess 50) that includes atissue-cleaning convexity (i.e., projection 48) extending outwardlytherefrom. As noted above, the concavity can be defined as an elongatedepression or ridge or a hemispherical recess, with other concavitiesbeing contemplated. In addition, the convexity can be any shape and/orcross-section including, but not limited to, those projection shapesdisclosed herein. For instance, the convexity can be a column 60 ofconstant cross-section extending from a concavity 62 of square profileas shown in FIG. 6.

Although the tongue cleanser of the present invention has been discussedprimarily in connection with a plurality of ridges that extend laterallyacross the head, the concepts of the invention are applicable to allkinds of projections usable as a tongue cleanser. For example, theridges may have all kinds of shapes and configurations on the head asdisclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/989/267entitled Oral Care Implement, filed Nov. 17, 2004, which is herebyincorporated by reference. Moreover, the projections may be formed asnon-ridge projections or a mixture of ridge and non-ridge projections,such as disclosed in the co-pending application noted above or inco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/869,922, entitled OralCare Implement and filed Jun. 18, 2004, which is also herebyincorporated by reference.

Also various other changes could be made in the above disclosedconstructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it isintended that all matter contained in this application, including allmechanisms and/or modes of interaction described above, shall beinterpreted as illustrative only and not limiting in any way the scopeof the appended claims.

1. An oral care implement comprising an elongated handle, a headconnected to the elongated handle, at least one projection protrudingfrom the head to cleanse soft tissue within a user's mouth, theprojection being formed of two components including a first componentcomposed of a first material and a second component composed of a secondmaterial, wherein the first and second materials are different and thesecond component is composed of a thermoplastic elastomer and whereinthe at least one projection extends laterally across substantially theentire surface of the head in a non-linear configuration, wherein thefirst component is formed as a unitary portion of the head and whereinthe second component is molded over and integral with the firstcomponent.
 2. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 1 whereinthe first material is a relatively hard material and the second materialis a relatively soft material.
 3. An oral care implement in accordancewith claim 2 wherein the first component defines a base protruding fromthe head and the second component at least partially overlies the base.4. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 3 wherein the baseincludes a tip remote from the head to engage and clean the soft tissue,and the second component overlies at least the tip of the base.
 5. Anoral care implement in accordance with claim 4 wherein the tip has anarrow remote end to clean the soft tissue.
 6. An oral care implement inaccordance with claim 4 wherein the second component covers only thetip.
 7. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 3 wherein thebase protrudes from a first side of the head, and the second componentoverlies substantially the entire first side of the head.
 8. An oralcare implement in accordance with claim 7 wherein teeth cleaningelements extend from a second side of the head, which is opposite thefirst side.
 9. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 3 whereinthe base includes a tip remote from the head to engage and clean thesoft tissue, and the second component overlies substantially the entirebase except for the tip.
 10. An oral care implement in accordance withclaim 9 wherein the head includes a recess into which a portion of thesecond component is secured.
 11. An oral care implement in accordancewith claim 1 wherein the first component defines an outwardly directedtip to contact the soft tissue, and the second component extends fromthe head to the tip to define an outer surface against which the softtissue moves to the tip.
 12. An oral care implement in accordance withclaim 1 wherein the projection has a generally constant cross-section.13. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the headis sized for insertion into a mouth of a user.
 14. An oral careimplement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first material ispolypropylene and the second material is a thermoplastic elastomer. 15.An oral care implement in accordance with claim 1 wherein the at leastone projection protrudes from the head for a height between 0.5 to 1.0millimeters.
 16. An oral care implement in accordance with claim 1comprising a plurality of the projections extending laterally acrosssubstantially the entire surface of the head in a laterally curvedconfiguration, the projections having at least two different lateralradii of curvature.
 17. A toothbrush comprising: an elongated handle; ahead connected to the handle, the head having a first side and anopposite second side; at least one cleaning element extending from thefirst side; at least one projection protruding from the second side ofthe head to cleanse soft tissue within a user's mouth, the at least oneprojection extending laterally across substantially the entire surfaceof the head as a curved ridge; and the projection being formed of twocomponents including a first component constructed of a relatively hardmaterial and a second component constructed a relatively soft material,wherein the first component is formed as a unitary portion of the head,and wherein the second component is molded over and integral with thefirst component.